Potential Richmond July 4 Mass Shooters Charged as Noncitizens in Possession of Firearm

Two illegal immigrants were arrested in a mass shooting plot at the Richmond, Virginia, July Fourth celebration.

“A hero citizen picked up the phone and overheard a conversation there was a mass shooting being planned here in the city of Richmond, Virginia,” Richmond Chief of Police Gerald Smith said Wednesday.

Two illegal immigrants, 52-year-old Julio Alvarado-Dubon and 38-year-old Rolman Balacarcel, were arrested and charged with being a non-U.S. citizens in possession of a gun after police uncovered a plot that the duo planned a mass shooting at Richmond’s July 4 celebration Monday.

Julio Alvarado-Dubon and Rolman Balacarcel

{snip} Police investigated the claims and found Alvarado-Dubon was in possession of two rifles, one handgun, and 223 rounds of ammunition. He was arrested on July 1, while Balacarcel was placed under surveillance and eventually arrested on the same charges {snip}

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“We know what their intent was but we don’t have a motive,” Smith said.

Smith addressed reports that one of the suspects has been deported several times and continued to re-enter the country illegally, saying that it was “frustrating” that a person could continue to break the law and have an opportunity to still plan out a mass murder.

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